Stockholm Syndrome
by RaminMyAngelOfMusic15
Summary: After 100 years, it seems that Erik is finally given a second chance at love, that is, until a handsome new suitor shows up with a plan of his own... Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own Phantom of the Opera.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody! This is my first Phantom fan fiction, so please R&R and let me know what you think :)**

Chapter One

_Paris 2013_

The car rolled to a stop in front of the grand Opera Populaire. Christine starred in awe through her window at the magnificent building that was to be her new home.

Christine scooped up her long brown curls from her neck and put them up into a ponytail as she crawled out of the car.

"Welcome to our new home, Christine," her father said as he too climbed out of the car to join her.

"It's amazing, Dad. I only wish Mom could have been here to see it. She would have loved this."

Christine's mother had passed away two years earlier. Her death was what inspired her dad to purchase the Paris Opera House; it had been something the three of them had talked about doing for a while.

"Yeah, she would have loved it here. But who says she's not with us even now? She is probably smiling down at us," her father said as he wrapped his arm around his daughter's waist. "So, does this look anything like it says in your books?"

"Come on, Dad," Christine joked, "You know that it didn't describe the whole place, just a few places, _inside_, that I would really like to see. Can we please go inside now?"

"Alright, you win. You go ahead and run in, I'll be right behind you, I just need to grab a few things."

Christine took off like a rocket before her dad had even finished talking, eager to see the famous grand staircase that she had read so much about.

As she burst through the doors, Christine couldn't hold back a squeal of joy as she took in her surroundings.

The grand staircase was even more magnificently beautiful than she could have ever had imagined. Christine couldn't help but imagine hundreds of masqueraders dancing to lively music in their finery at the very spot she now stood.

"Dad! You have to come see this! It's simply incredible," Christine called out to her dad as she danced around. "My books didn't even do this place a shred of justice!"

Her father walked in and too was taken aback by the splendor of the grand staircase.

"Oh my! This is truly amazing. I thought I would be prepared for this after how much you talked about it, and yet, it turns out I was wrong. This is beautiful. No wonder you enjoy your books," her father said.

"Oh. Dad, can I please go exploring? Please! I want to see the stage, the chapel, the roof, and the mysterious Box 5! Oh, please, can I?" Christine pleaded.

"Whoa, hold your horses there, Chris. We still have lots of unpacking to do. When you finish with that, then you are welcome to go exploring to your heart's content. Just keep your phone on you and call if you get lost. Just promise me one thing, you will stay away from men wearing masks that sing and call themselves The Phantom of the Opera," her father laughed at his own joke.

"Dad, how unfair. You know that is exactly what I'm gonna be looking for. You take the fun out of everything. Still, you can laugh all you want, but I'm going to find the Phantom, you just watch," Christine countered.

"Sure you are, Chris. Alright, let's get this unpacking done so that you can go on your little ghost hunt."

The two walked away towards the living quarters of the opera house, completely unaware of the dark shadow watching them from above.

**So, how am I doing so far? Please review! I love to hear from you guys! Don't worry, the chapters will get longer, I swear.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Erik couldn't believe his eyes. That girl down there looked exactly like his Christine.

"Could it be, after all these years, my Christine has finally returned to me? No, it couldn't be. Yet, that man, her father perhaps, called her Christine and, that man, he mentioned me."

Erik's mind was spinning in circles as he fought to straighten out his thoughts. It couldn't possibly be Christine, because he had read about her death many years ago.

Yet, Erik himself hadn't died, despite his best efforts. He hadn't even aged sense Christine left, which was a mystery that even he could not understood.

Erik decided that he would follow her and find out for himself if this truly was his lost love, finally returned to him from the grip of that fop.

* * *

"Alrighty, Dad. I'm all unpacked," Christine called down the hall, "I'm going exploring now. I have my phone. Don't wait up!"

Christine made her way back to the grand staircase to begin adventure. She headed straight for the stage, completely unaware of the shadow following her every movement.

Luckily, there were no rehearsals that day, so Christine met no one, and the stage and auditorium were empty.

Christine ran onto the stage and stood front and center. She closed her eyes and pictured the auditorium sold out with all of the people applauding for her.

Christine began to sing her favorite song from her favorite musical; Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again from _The Phantom of the Opera_.

She finished her song and she could still hear the notes echoing around the theater. Christine had always had a passion for singing, but she had always lacked a teacher.

She lingered on the stage and then continued on her self-guided tour of the vast empire that was the opera house.

Christine wandered for a while and soon found herself in the opera's chapel, but she didn't stay in there for very long.

Christine then made her way through the manmade jungle of ropes hanging above the stage while on her way to the roof.

When she reached the roof, Christine sat down under the statue of Apollo and imagined having to tell Raoul the horrors that had taken place beneath the opera house. That had always been Christine's favorite chapter of Gaston Leroux's _Phantom_.

Christine closed her eyes to the view of Paris and she could almost hear the sighs of the past surround her, coming alive once more.

She gazed up at the sky and saw two bright golden stars gaze back down at her through Apollo's lyre. She could tell how the terrified couple could have mistaken them as the eyes of the menacing Phantom.

After a while, Christine gave up the marvelous view of Paris to continue her search of the rest of the Paris Opera House.

Christine wandered through the halls in hopes of returning to the stage so as to see the mysterious Box 5 that she had read so much about.

Christine found herself hopelessly lost in the maze of hallways. She was about to call her dad when she heard footsteps at the end of the hallway.

"Hello," Christine called out to the stranger, "Is someone there? I'm lost and was hoping that you would be able to point me in the direction of the stage, please."

Christine received no reply.

She convinced herself that she was just hearing things and stopped herself from calling out to this none existent stranger again. She then reached for her phone.

Before she could even unlock her phone, she heard more footsteps from the same direction, followed, this time, by the sound of heavy fabric gliding on the floor.

"Hello," Christine called again, this time making her way towards the sound, "Please, could you help me? I just need to know what way the stage is. Hello?"

Her only reply was more footsteps, only they were walking away from her, as if this person hadn't even heard her.

Christine became determined to find out who this person was. She had, thus far, concluded that it was a man from the sound of his heavy steps.

"Sir, please, where are you going? I really need help; my father will be worried if I don't come back soon."

Christine heard the footsteps round a corner and heard the creak of a door opening, and then, nothing.

She took off in that same direction that she heard the man go. As she rounded the corner she saw one open door.

Christine walked into the room, hoping to find this man, but only found an empty room that once served as a dressing room to one of the performers.

Christine was hit with a realization of sorts. She saw a large mirror on one wall that stretched from floor to ceiling, which was a dead giveaway as to whom this dressing room once belonged.

"This was Christine Daae's dressing room," she softly whispered to herself.

Not wanting to dwell in this room any longer, Christine turned to walk out of the room. As she did, the door slammed shut, as if by some mysterious force.

Christine tried to open the door, but it had been locked. Christine turned the handle with all of her might, but it wouldn't budge.

She was about to scream and pound on the door in hopes that someone would hear and get her out of that room, but before she could, she heard the sound of a violin playing from nowhere.

As the soul stirring music played, a strong, masculine voice began to sing to her with a fiery passion. This voice seemed to be calling Christine to the mirror.

She reached towards the mirror; all memory of what her books told her lay beyond the mirror vanished. She couldn't resist the pull of the music. Just as she was about to touch the mirror, she was suddenly on the other side of the mirror, still walking.

Christine found herself in a large, dark, and damp brick passageway. Christine found herself screaming and she began to faint. She began falling, but before she made contact with the ground, someone caught her. Just as she lost consciousness, she saw that her savior, and possibly her kidnapper, was a tall man that smelled heavily of death.

As Christine woke up, she found herself in someplace that she didn't recognize. Then her mind suddenly flooded with memories of the past night.

She took in her surroundings with careful eyes. She noticed that she was lying in an elegant swan shaped bed. The room seemed very ordinary, with shelves that had shells and books, and on top of one dresser were two little boxes containing figures of a grasshopper and a scorpion.

Everything about this room seemed to tickle her subconscious, trying to stir an old memory. But a memory of what, a picture she'd seen, a story she'd read, or perhaps, been told.

Just as Christine's mind started to work and put the pieces together as to where she was, a door that she had not noticed before swung open and in walked a tall man, dressed completely in black.

"Good morning, Christine," he said. Christine noticed that he kept his back to her, "I do hope you slept well."

Upon receiving no answer, he slowly turned around, hoping not to frighten her. It was then that Christine saw his white mask that covered his whole face, except for his eyes and his lips.

"You… you're the… the phantom, aren't you?" Christine asked in shock filled awe at seeing this legendary person stand before her.

"Ah, yes. You do remember me. I had so hoped you would. After all, you promised me that you would," the Phantom stated, with a kind of humor hidden in his voice, "I have missed you so much, my Christine. It has been very lonely down here sense you left. Oh, and please call me Erik, as you once did, those many ago."

"What do you mean, Erik," Christine tested the name, "I'm afraid I don't quite understand. Yes, my name is Christine, and I know who you are, but that is only through stories that I have read and heard from others. Sadly, I am not your Christine."

"No, but you must be her, you must be," Erik reached out for her hands and took them in his own, holding them firmly, until he heard the cry of surprise escape Christine's lips.

"Erik! Your hands, they are like ice!"

"My apologies, Christine," he withdrew his hands, "I guess it was too good to be true. To have my Christine finally return to me after all of these years. But still…" He gazed up at her, an exact copy of his Christine.

"Sing for me, Christine, please." In truth, he had heard her sing on the stage and thought his ears were playing tricks on him.

Christine was shocked by this sudden request, but she knew that it was an order disguised as a request. She began to sing a melody that was spinning around in her head.

Erik watched her and listened intently to every note that spilled from her lips into his waiting ears. His angel had returned to him, he was sure of it, for he was hearing the very voice that had captured his heart so many years ago.

Christine finished her little tune and caught Erik's eye.

"You have a lovely voice my dear. It reminds me of another. She was once the Prima Donna of this very opera house," Erik told this 'new Christine'.

"Why, thank you, Erik. That actually means a lot to me, more than I think you will ever know. My grandmother once told me, actually, that I sound just like my great great grandmother. Apparently I also look like her too, if you can believe that," Christine smiled at Erik.

Christine couldn't read his eyes to see what he was thinking, but could tell that something had just sent his mind into a frenzy of confusion.

After what seemed like an eternity, a large smile broke out across Erik's face, as though he had just been given the most perfect present ever.

Erik offered his hand to Christine, who took it after a short hesitation.

"Come, I must be returning you back to the world above. Your father will be greatly missing you. I must ask you, though, not to say where you have been. Promise me this, Christine," Erik almost pleaded with her.

"You have my word, Erik. No one will know where I have been," Christine replied, unsure of why she felt so calm towards a man she barely knew.

"Thank you, Christine. Now, if you will follow me, I will show you the way from my world to yours." Erik led her through the twists and turns that made up his underground empire.

Christine secretly wished that this would not be the last time that she ventured into this world of Erik's.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter Three

After Erik left Christine by the grand staircase, he began to make his way back through the winding tunnels to the little house by the lake. His mind was a blur of unanswered questions and he was desperate for the answers.

Why did she look, act, and sound just like his Christine? Did Christine and that fop Raoul have children? Did this Christine have any relation to his Christine? Could this be Christine's great great granddaughter? Was his theory even possible?

All of these questions plagued his mind, all of them flitting around like tiny bugs. They wouldn't go away until he got the answers he craved. Erik quickly became frustrated at all of the questions penetrating his mind that he could not answer.

There was one question that Erik was fighting to keep from his fevered mind, not wanting to look hope in the face and, inevitably, have it crush his weakened heart once more. Still, no matter how hard he fought it, that one question slipped its way to the front of his jumbled mind, making very sure that Erik was aware of its presence.

Could it be that the God that Erik felt had abandon him for his entire life, never showing him a bit of kindness, was giving him a second chance at love with his Christine?

* * *

Christine parted ways with Erik after many good-byes from both parties. Christine seemed to come out of the trance-like state she had been in during the walk back to civilization, if one could call what she had done walking.

Christine was constantly quickening her pace to keep up with Erik's long, confident strides, all the while, never releasing his hand. She feared that if she let go, Erik would be lost to the darkness and she would be all alone, not knowing which way to go.

Christine stood at the foot of the grand staircase, unwilling to move a foot, afraid that she would wake up and find that this had all been a dream.

"If this is a dream," Christine spoke aloud to herself, "I don't ever want to wake up!"

"Neither do I, Mademoiselle, because that would mean that I would have never been able to make your acquaintance," someone answered her from behind.

Christine turned around quickly to face the speaker. Standing at the top of the staircase was a boy, only a year or two her senior. He had wavy blonde hair that fell just shy of his shoulders, striking blue eyes, and he dressed and carried himself like one from a family of wealth as he descended the staircase towards Christine.

"Forgive me Mademoiselle. I didn't mean to startle you," the boy continued, "I am the Count Philippe De Chaney. And may I be so bold as to ask for your name?"

"Oh," Christine began, "Forgive me Monsieur. I'm not exactly myself today. I'm Christine Destler. My father owns the opera house."

"Ah, yes. I had the pleasure of meeting with him only moments ago. He seems like a fine man, and it seems that the Opera Populaire will flourish with him as owner."

"Pardon me for asking this Monsieur…"

"Please, call me Philippe, Mademoiselle. I think we can skip all of these formal titles, don't you agree?"

"Very much so, Philippe. Please, call me Christine as well. Anyway, why were you meeting with my father? I know that you must be a man of high rank in society, due to your title, but still…" Christine trailed off.

"Well, you see, Christine, I am one of the Opera House's biggest patrons. I thought that I should welcome the new owner, and his daughter," Philippe added as a side thought, "I was actually just coming to find you. Your father told me that you have been exploring the Opera House sense last night, and that you were searching for the infamous Opera Ghost. Did you, perchance, find him?"

Christine was startled for a moment by his question about Erik, until she caught the joking tone in his voice as he asked the question.

"Well, as much as I wish I could say I have," Christine began, remembering her promise to Erik, "I did not come across any masked phantoms lurking the halls."

"I can't exactly blame you for trying, can I? Many before you have tried to find him, myself included, and failed. I have always been fascinated by that singular mystery."

"Really? Is that true Philippe?" Christine asked, her voice full of hope that she had found someone that was as fascinated by this story as she was.

But, before Philippe could answer, a new voice cut into the conversation. "Pardon me, Monsieur De Chaney. I would very much like to have a word with Mademoiselle Destler."

Christine and Philippe turned to face a very regal looking woman, in an almost humble way. Her dark black hair was pulled into a very tight bun at the back of her head. She was dressed in an all-black suit. She carried herself with purpose, but it was clear though that she had not come from money. The way she walked was similar to how Philippe did, but yet, it couldn't be more different. Every move this woman made had purpose and was never wasted. Yet the most prominent thing about her was her striking green eyes. They were like two shining emeralds on her face.

"Well of course, Madame Giry," Philippe said, "I would hate to prevent your words of welcome to our newest," He chose his next word carefully, "resident of the Opera Populaire."

"Why thank you for your generosity," Madame Giry said, her words thick with sarcasm, "But, if you don't mind, I should like to have this conversation stay between Mademoiselle Destler and myself. So if you would please excuse us. I bid you good day, Monsieur. If you would please follow me, Mademoiselle."

"Good-bye Philippe," Christine called back over her shoulder as she let herself be taken away by Madame Giry.

"Farewell Christine. I have no doubt in my mind that we shall meet again, very soon." Philippe then turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction.

* * *

Philippe had been taken aback by Christine's beauty and innocence. Her father had boasted earlier about his daughter's beauty, but he had believed it only to be fatherly pride talking.

'Isn't that how all fathers are,' Philippe had thought earlier, 'thinking that their daughter is the most beautiful girl alive?'

Then he had seen her talking to herself at the bottom of the staircase. The way her long dark curls had framed her porcelain face. That face which held perfectly formed, bright red lips, and her eyes. Her eyes seemed like two beautiful pools of blue, just begging him to dive in and get lost in them forever. Christine was perfect in every way.

Philippe wanted Christine; he wanted her to be his and his alone. But first, he decided to get to know more about her, so as to woo her easily when the time came.

He had been trying to do just that, until that vile Madame Giry, which he couldn't stand because she never seemed to take kindly to him, had come and taken Christine away from him.

"Oh well, never mind, this brief interruption will soon pass and I will be with Christine again," he muttered to himself, "I will succeed yet."

* * *

"Um… Madame Giry?" Christine asked, "Where exactly are we going?"

As if on cue, Madame Giry came to a stop, having reached her destination, the ballet girls' dormitories.

"I apologize for my hast Mademoiselle…" Madame Giry began but was interrupted by Christine.

"Christine. My name is Christine. As much as I am enjoying all of this Monsieur and Mademoiselle stuff, I would prefer if you would just call me Christine."

"Of course, Christine. As I was saying," Madame Giry continued, "I apologize for my hast, but I do not entirely trust the Count and would prefer to talk to you away from prying ears. I am very aware that you had to leave everything from your old life behind, such as friends, and I know how difficult it can be.

"I thought that I might try and make this switch of yours a little easier. I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Diana. She is about your age and she knows all of the other girls in the ballet. One moment. Diana, would you please come here for a minute," Madame Giry called into the ballet dormitories.

A few seconds passed, and out bounced a young perky looking blonde girl. She looked about Christine's age, although slightly shorter. She was wearing her required ballet uniform, complete with a large tutu. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose bun on the top of her head.

Christine could see a few similarities between mother and daughter. Mainly, they both had the same striking green eyes. Other than that, the two women couldn't be more different. Where her mother was strict and precise, Diana was very relaxed and free.

"Hello," Diana said to Christine, almost ignoring her mother all together, "You must be Christine, the new owner's daughter. I'm Diana; it's nice to finally meet you." Diana then held out her hand to Christine. Christine took it and they stood there for a moment.

"Well, I must be on my way. I am needed elsewhere. You two stay together and get acquainted. I will be back later, Diana. Don't go getting yourself into trouble again," Madame Giry said.

As Madame Giry disappeared down the hallway, the two girls turned and faced each other. They stood there for a moment or two in silence, and then Diana finally spoke.

"Follow me Christine; I just have to introduce you to all of the other girls! They are going to love you! They are going to be so jealous that I met the new owner's daughter before them!"

"Wait, Diana!" Christine said with urgency hinting in her voice, "Please don't tell them that I am the owner's daughter. I don't want my first impression to be that I am almost like their employer; I don't want to make any fake friends because my dad owns the place. Does that make any sense, or do I just sound crazy?"

"I understand, Christine. You don't like people pretending to be your friend and like you because of who your dad is. You want to be liked for you or not at all."

"Exactly, Diana! It's so nice to have someone that understands me for once!"

"Well, are you going to come in and make friends or stand out in the hallway like a loner?" Diana teased her and then led her into the dormitories.

All of the girls were in the center of the room helping each other get ready for rehearsal later that day. Diana introduced Christine to everyone, telling them that Christine was going to be spending a lot of time at the Opera House and not one person suspected that this was the owner's daughter. Some girls did wonder why this Christine was going to be at the Opera House so much when she wasn't a performer, but they soon brushed the thoughts aside.

Christine charmed everyone she met in that room, from the youngest ballerina, to the oldest one there. Each person liked Christine almost instantly, never aware of whom her father was. Despite all of the friends she made, Christine tended to stick by Diana's side for the most part.

After many hours spent gossiping and several cans of hairspray later, the girls had to leave to learn new choreography for the upcoming opera from Madame Giry, who Christine had learned was the ballet teacher of the Opera House.

When all of the girls had left, Christine began wandering the halls of the Opera House with no destination in mind. Christine found herself once again on the roof of the building. Christine sat down under Apollo's lyre and thought about some of the gossip she had heard earlier.

There had been gossip such as who likes who, the Prima Donna's latest break down, but most of the gossip had been about the Phantom of the Opera. Christine had heard some crazy things about the Phantom that day. She had decided to just ignore what she heard and pass it off as stupid gossip, and yet some of it still lurked at the back of her mind.

Christine stayed up on the roof, sorting through her thoughts, until it started getting darker. She knew her father would soon wonder where she was if she didn't turn up for dinner tonight. Reluctantly, Christine got up and headed back inside the immense building, leaving the golden stars to light the night sky behind her.

**Please R&R, I love hearing from you guys! Next chapter will be up soon :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello people of the internet! I am back, please don't kill me! I went on an unexpected vacation, and there was no internet connection :( During that time, I did write the next few chapters and they will be up soon after this one. I just want to thank you if you have still stuck with this story until now and I would like to warn you that school has started up again for me and I have all of these AP classes, so I don't know how often I will be able to update. I will do my best to update quickly, but...**

**Anyway, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter Four

"Ah, Christine! There you are," Christine's father said as she walked into the dining room, "I was beginning to think you wouldn't be joining me," he laughed lightly as Christine watched the worry fade from his eyes, "No matter. Come on; tell me all about last night and today. I want to hear everything. Did you meet anyone?"

Christine walked over to where her father was now sitting and took a seat directly across from him. "I met quite a few people today, actually. I ran into Madame Giry and she introduced me to her daughter, Diana. She's very nice; she took me around and introduced me to all of the girls in the ballet. Everybody is so nice here, Madame Giry seems a little strict, but she is nice all the same."

"Wonderful! We are going to have a very 'nice' life here," he mocked Christine's word choice, "Did you run into anyone else?"

Christine knew that it was only a matter of time before her dad brought up the Phantom. With a sigh, she said, "No, Dad, I did not run into him."

"That's a shame. That Philippe seemed like such a pleasant man. Perhaps you two can get acquainted some other time." Her father's statement took her by surprise, Christine had completely forgotten about Philippe.

"Philippe? Oh, I met him this morning. We talked for a little while; he seems nice…" Christine trailed off.

"Well, I'm glad. He seemed very keen to meet you," he said, then something else popped into his mind, "On a side-thought, who is it that you didn't run into?" As he waited for an answer, a large grin filled his face.

Christine noticed and tried to discourage what he was thinking, "Dad, please don't say it. I just misunderstood you. Please just leave it alone, you know I hate it when you tease me." Her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Her father couldn't resist himself, "You thought I was asking about your Phantom!" He laughed while Christine glared at him, trying to hide the smirk that was growing on her face, "Now I understand why you are in such a sour mood tonight."

"Hey!" Christine couldn't help but laugh at her father's jest. She could never stay mad at him for long periods of time.

"Alright, alright! I'm done, for now," he poked, earning him a smile, "Ah, and here comes our food, and not a moment too soon. Why, thank you," he said as the maid set down their plates.

The rest of the meal was uneventful. Christine listened to her father ramble on about his first full day as owner. He had met with quite a few of the more important performers, such as the Prima Donna, Carlotta. Christine soon retired for the night. Before she could reach her room, she heard a voice softly call out her name.

* * *

Erik had made the decision soon after reaching his lair that he would train Christine's voice. As perfect as her voice already was, he could tell that it had never been properly trained, oh, and how he yearned to be the one to help her rise to her full potential, like he had done only one time before.

Erik headed back up through the secret passages that he had memorized long ago until he was standing behind a portrait that hung on the long wall of a corridor. He could see and hear everything that took place in that long corridor from where he stood.

Erik waited in silence for Christine to appear, knowing that this was the only way to her room. Several times, he almost left to search for her, almost. After a few hours of waiting, anticipating, he finally heard soft footsteps making their way, uncertainly, down the corridor.

He saw that it was, in fact, Christine heading to her room. He was silent, just watching, suddenly becoming nervous at the sight of her. He was able to find his voice again before Christine got too far away.

Using his expert skills as a ventriloquist, he called out to her, "Christine." It came through as a soft whisper, but it still echoed throughout the hall.

He saw her stop and a look of surprise and curiosity pass over her face. "Hello," he heard her call out, "Who's there? Show yourself." Erik's hand flew up to his face to make sure that his mask was firmly in place before stepping out from behind the portrait.

* * *

"Hello. Who's there? Show yourself." Christine stood absolutely still as she waited for an answer. She couldn't hear or see anything. As far as she could tell, she was alone.

'Maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me,' she thought to herself. But then something dawned on her, 'What if it was Erik?'

As Christine came to this conclusion she felt a hand on her shoulder. She was about to scream when another hand covered her mouth.

"Shhh, Christine. There is no need to be afraid, it is only Erik." The hand flew from her mouth and she found herself facing the masked man.

"Erik?" she whispered, trying to focus on his face in the dimly lit corridor, but was only able to see the ever constant glow of light reflecting off of his mask. Every fiber of her being was telling her that she should be terrified, but she just couldn't bring herself to be afraid of this man.

"Yes, Christine. It is Erik. I apologize if I startled you, but now there is another matter that I would like to discuss with you and I'm afraid it's going to have to be a short conversation," he told her, "I would like to propose an offer to you. It would bring me great joy if you would allow me to train your voice. All I ask in return is that I remain anonymous, you must tell no one of who is training you," Christine went to say something, but Erik put a finger to her lips. "I do not require your answer now. I will allow you some time to think over my offer. If you are in agreement, I will expect you to be present in the star's dressing room at 8 in the morning in two days' time. Farewell, Christine."

With that, Erik faded into the darkness, leaving Christine alone with her thoughts. She reached out for Erik, searching in the darkness that he had disappeared into, but found nothing.

Christine than ran down the hallway to her room. Her heart was racing in her chest with the excitement that enveloped her at Erik's offer.

This was what she had always dreamed of, ever since she had first heard the story of the Phantom of the Opera. She had dreamed of a masked musical genius teaching her how to sing, and now it seemed that her dream was finally coming true.

Christine pinched her arm to convince herself that she had not fallen asleep and was in fact awake. When she didn't wake up, she squealed with pure joy. She knew that the next day would only slowly squeak by.

Christine found herself already impatient for time to pass so that she could see Erik again and begin learning how to truly sing. This idea that she would be spending large amounts of time with Erik caused a large smile to creep onto her face.

She had always had a crush on the Phantom when she had thought him to be only a fictional character. She wondered if her feelings would grow now that he was a real living, breathing man.

These thoughts and thoughts of what would happen during the awaiting lessons filled her mind as she readied herself for bed.

Christine lay down and was afraid that sleep would not come due to her excited state. However, as soon as her head hit her pillow, she fell into sleep's warm embrace.

* * *

Erik let himself slip back through the portrait and watched Christine until she disappeared into her room. He then head back through the tunnels, wondering what she was thinking.

He hadn't been able to tell if she would say 'yes or no' and he could not bear to hear her say the word 'no' out loud, he knew it would be easier if she just didn't show up when the time came.

Erik reached his lair and sat down at his piano. He let his hands glide over the keys before he began playing the melody swirling around inside his head. He would stop every once in awhile to write it down so that he wouldn't forget.

He began adding words to the music, each word inspired by Christine. One day he would share this song with her, but that day was in the distant future. He would first perfect everything about it; it would be perfect for his Christine.

**Thank you all for reviewing, I love hearing from you! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I humbly present to you, the next chapter of Stockholm Syndrome. If my grammar is not at it's best in this chapter, it is because I'm posting it before my Beta reader went through it, so I apologize in advance if some of it is a little wonky. As soon as my Beta sends the fixed version, I will update it :)**

Chapter Five

Christine woke up early the next morning feeling completely refreshed with a wide grin sitting comfortably on her face. Thoughts of her encounter the other night came back to her.

Christine hopped out of bed and got dressed for the day. She put on a pair of blue jeans and a sky-blue tank top that complimented her eyes. Christine ran a brush through her hair and pulled it back into a loose pony tail. She completed the outfit with a pair of sneakers that matched her top.

Christine wandered to the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast before wandering about the Opera House again. She realized that she had been doing a lot of aimless wandering lately.

As Christine walked through empty corridors, she let her mind wander to random thoughts, so she didn't notice the approaching figure until it was too late. She collided with the figure and they both fell to the ground.

"Geez, Christine, is the hallway not big enough for you? Well, I guess I'm not one to talk seeing as I rammed into you as well!" Diana began laughing as she lifted herself gracefully off of the floor. Diana then reached a hand down and helped Christine up.

"Sorry, I guess I didn't see you there. Are you okay?" Christine asked the tiny dancer with concern.

"Just a few bruises, but I think I'll live," Diana joked with Christine, "Oh, I almost forgot! I don't have rehearsal today. Maybe I could show you around town?"

"That actually sounds like a lot of fun. Sure, I'm in; you can show me all of the best places to go to in Paris!" Christine replied with enthusiasm.

The two girls rushed excitedly out of the Opera House and began their day of sight-seeing in Paris. Diana took Christine to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and many other locations all over the city. Whenever Diana wasn't spouting off a random fact about something, the two girls would talk about everything and nothing.

The girls had just sat down for lunch at a little bistro when Diana pointed to someone sitting on the other side of the restaurant.

"Christine, is that," Diana paused, "is that the Vicomte de Chagney over there?" Diana was indicating a man with blonde hair that was sitting alone at another table.

"I'm not sure, Diana. I… I only saw him once yesterday. It could be him," Christine said as she turned back to face her friend, her back facing the man, "It sure looks like him, a lot."

"We should invite him to sit with us. Wouldn't that be fun? I'm sure he knows all of the fresh new gossip about the Opera House!" Diana was growing excited at the thought of new gossip.

"I don't know, Diana. Your mom didn't seem to like him very much when she saw me with him," Diana started to point behind Christine, signaling for her to stop talking while she still could, "What is it Diana?"

"Well, hello there, ladies," a voice spoke from behind Christine, "What a pleasant surprise this is. May I join you?"

Diana began nodding so fast at the Vicomte that Christine feared her head would fly off of her shoulders. "Yes, yes of course, Monsieur De Chagney," Diana said.

Philippe sat down next to Christine and smiled warmly at her. "It's so nice to see you again, Christine. Our conversation was cut short yesterday, don't you agree?"

"Yes, very short," Diana cleared her throat then to remind the two that she was still there, "Oh, Philippe, this is my friend Diana Giry. She dances at the Opera House."

"It truly is a pleasure, Miss Giry," Philippe said, "I recognize you from performances past. You are a very remarkable dancer."

The compliment made Diana giggle, "Why thank you, Monsieur. That was very kind of you to say."

"So," Philippe began, "What brings two fine ladies such as yourselves out of the Opera House? Surely you must be in the middle of rehearsals for the upcoming production of _Il Muto_?"

"We've been given the day off, Monsieur," Diana answered, "I thought it might be fun to show Christine around Paris."

"Is that so, Christine?" Philippe questioned her, "Are you enjoying all that Paris has to offer?"

"Oh, yes. It's so different here in the big city than out in the country," Christine replied.

Just then, their waiter arrived to take their orders. Their food arrived and the three ate and talked like old friends. Diana and Philippe were now speaking to each other on a first name basis.

While the three were waiting for the bill, Christine dismissed herself to go to the bathroom. When she returned, Diana was giggling like a schoolgirl at something Philippe had said.

"What is so funny Diana?" Christine questioned as she sat down.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Diana said and then she fell into another fit of giggles as she glanced between Christine and Philippe. Christine glanced at Philippe for answers.

"It's nothing, Christine. It was simply a joke. Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but I paid for both of your lunches."

"Philippe, you didn't have to do that. I will pay you back as soon as I can."

"Please, I insist. Your company today is payment enough."

"Well, alright, if you are sure. Diana, I think we need to be getting back to the Opera House; my dad will be getting worried. I didn't tell him that we left. Good-bye Philippe, we will see you later."

"Have a nice day, Diana. Until next time, Christine," Philippe called after the two girls as they left the bistro.

"Diana," Christine asked as soon as they were far away from the restaurant, "What was so funny? What happened while I was gone?"

"Well, as soon as you had left, Philippe started asking me all of these questions about you. Like 'what's Christine's favorite color, her favorite food, her birthday?' Stuff like that," Diana said in her best Philippe voice, which made Christine laugh.

"Is that really what made you laugh?" Christine pressed further.

"Yeah, it was just so comical. He was about to ask me another one of his endless questions, when you came out and he stopped talking really fast. It was like he didn't want you to know that he was asking about you. I think someone has a not-so-secret admirer," Diana started laughing again at the thought.

Christine rolled her eyes and smirked at her friend, "I don't think so. Now, come on, we need to get back to the Opera House."

"Fine, fine. You know, you really can be a Debby Downer," Diana joked and then took off running towards the Opera House with Christine close at her heels.

The next morning came faster than Christine could have ever thought possible. It was already 7 o'clock when she finally woke up, which left Christine an hour to get dressed, eat, and get to the star's dressing room for her first lesson.

Christine was running down the hall to the dressing room, not wanting to be late. It had taken her longer than expected to get ready. It was 7:45 by the time she had left her room. After grabbing breakfast, it was already 7:55. Christine found herself stopping every once in a while to ask for directions so that she wouldn't get lost.

As Christine got to the dressing room, gasping for air, she checked her watch to see if she had made it on time.

8:06

Her eyes widened at the time as she pushed open the doors and entered the room. It was the same room where she had gone through the mirror the other day.

Everything was exactly the same as before, except now a grand piano sat in the corner of the room. As Christine looked around the room, she realized that she was alone.

"Erik!" she called out in the empty room, "Erik? I am so sorry for being late, it will never happen again, please forgive me." There was no answer to her plea.

Christine sat down on the couch and listened for any sound. Just as her tears threatened to spill over, a voice like honey seeped through the walls, the sound engulfing her.

"Welcome, Christine. Are you ready to begin your first lesson?"

"Yes."

**What did you guys think? I hope you liked it, let me know by reviewing down below. Please do, your reviews are pushing me to write more chapters for you guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, I am back with another exciting installment of Stockholm Syndrome. Just some helpful info before we begin:**

**1. After this chapter, I will finally get to the interesting stuff**

**2. (This is true for every chapter) When Christine and Erik are singing, Christine is in italics, Erik is normal, if the two are stacked, they are both singing different things at the same time, if it is bolded, they are singing the same thing at the same time, if it is in parenthesis during the sing, that is what the characters are doing.**

**3. This is the last chapter I have written for now, once school starts to slow down a little, I will be writing like crazy, so I don't know how long it will be until the next update, so please don't kill me if I don't update for a while.**

**I think that covers it, so please enjoy :)**

Chapter Six

_Two months later_

"You are making excellent progress, my dear. You already have a finer voice than most of the performers here."

Christine blushed at Erik's compliment. She never truly believed him when he did compliment her voice. "Are you sure? I don't feel comfortable with my lower register yet."

"Ah, but you will soon enough. I am very proud of you, Christine," it made Erik's heart swell to see the smile on her face and the blush that graced her cheeks, "I think that is enough for today, people will soon be arriving at the Opera House for rehearsals and we can't risk them hearing our surprise, can we?"

"No, I guess not," Christine always became sad when their lessons came to an end; it was what she looked forward to each day.

Christine headed for the door, but Erik stopped her before she could leave. "Before you go, I have a new song for you to learn the lyrics to, we shall be working on it for the next few days," Erik handed her a small pile of sheet music.

"I will do my best, Erik. I'll see you tomorrow. Same time?"

"Yes Christine, same time, same place. Farewell," after Christine left, he whispered after her, "my Christine."

* * *

Christine looked at the music as she walked through the halls, reading the lyrics of his newest song carefully. Erik was always giving her songs to memorize. This one was a truly beautiful piece; it started as a female solo and then turned into a romantic duet. Christine searched for a title to the music, but she couldn't locate one.

Christine let her mind drift to thoughts of Erik, as they often did. The way he always knew just what to do and say. How he had come to make her voice soar higher than she had ever thought possible. Even about how her feelings for him had come to grow with every time she saw his masked face.

Her thoughts turned to his mask. The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that she could accept him for what was hidden behind it. That her feelings that had grown for him would not change, she would still care about him just as much as she did then, if not more. She had read the novel and seen several versions of the story, including the musical, so that she was sure she could mentally construct the face that was hidden behind a mask if she tried hard enough, which she had.

Christine decided to question him about it at her next lesson. She kept walking, absentmindedly reading the music without really reading the words. She was pulled out of her thoughts by someone calling her name.

"Christine! Christine, wait up! It's me, Philippe!" Christine stopped and waited for him to catch up as he ran to her, mocking slow motion. Christine playfully glared at him and he sped up until he reached her. They started walking through the halls again with Philippe asking her questions about random things that neither of them cared about in the least.

Over the past few months the two had grown very close to each other. Whenever Christine wasn't with Diana and the ballet girls, who still hadn't figured out who she was, or with Erik, she was with Philippe. There were only two people that could pull her away from Philippe, Madame Giry and her Erik. Diana often teased her that Philippe was in love with her ever sense that day at the bistro.

Christine had come to know Philippe quite well, and whenever he had something important to ask her, he would avoid it for as long as possible by asking her questions about the weather and other things neither of them cared about.

"Philippe, we have been friends for some time now, and I can tell that you have something that you would like to ask me," Philippe smiled at her, "What is it that you want to ask me?"

"Well…" he began, "This weekend, I will be traveling to my family's estate out in the country. I will be staying there for two weeks. I was wondering if you would care to join me. The estate is rather large and it is very peaceful there. It's right by the beach and we could go there every day. We could do anything you would like."

"Philippe, that sounds wonderful, but I would have to ask my dad. I'm not sure he would be okay with it."

"I have already taken the liberty to ask your father on your behalf and he thinks it is a wonderful idea as well. The choice is entirely yours, Christine."

"Do you think it would be alright if I had some time to think about it?"

"Of course, Christine, I am leaving Friday, so I will need an answer by then. Sadly, there is somewhere I must be now. I will see you soon." He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles ever so lightly and walked away from her.

'All I need to do now is make sure all the pieces are in place for this trip,' Philippe thought to himself, 'By the time we return in two weeks, she will love me just as much as I love her.'

A wide grin spread across his face as he went to make the arrangements for his very special vacation with Christine.

* * *

"No, I will not allow it!"

"But, Erik, if you would only listen to me…" He cut her off.

"I will not let that boy distract you from your music. That is final."

"He won't distract me. This is only a short vacation to the country, where I grew up. I will be back in two weeks, eager to continue with our lessons."

Christine couldn't understand why Erik was being so difficult about this. She thought the person that would really need persuading would be her dad. Apparently he had actually given Philippe the all clear on the subject.

"Christine, I do not exactly enjoy the idea of you and the Vicomte alone in the middle of nowhere. I already dislike you seeing him here…."

"We are not going to be alone, Erik. There will be other people on the estate and I trust Philippe."

'That's what I'm afraid of,' Erik thought, "Christine, I would sooner kill the boy, than let you go off with him on this vacation."

"Erik, please. I will not stay the full two weeks if that would make you happy. Please, just allow me this," Christine pleaded with him.

Erik could never refuse Christine anything, no matter how much it hurt him. That much he was sure of, "There is nothing you could ask, Christine, that I could refuse. But I expect you to be back in one week from the moment of your departure."

"Yes! Yes! Oh, thank you, Erik!" Christine threw her arms around his neck and embraced him. She felt him stiffen at her touch and she pulled away quickly, blushing, scolding herself for her stupidity.

Erik proceeded with their lesson, pretending as if nothing had happened. "Come, let us continue working on the new piece," Erik moved towards the piano as he spoke.

He played the introduction and Christine began to sing:

_I know there's someone somewhere __  
Someone who's sure to find me soon  
After the rain goes there are rainbows  
I'll find my rainbow soon  
Soon it won't be just pretend  
Soon a happy ending  
Love, can you hear me  
If you're near me  
Sing your song  
Sure and strong  
And soon_

Let me be your wings  
Let me be your only love  
Let me take you far beyond the stars  
Let me be your wings  
Let me lift you high above  
Everything we're dreaming of will soon be ours  
Anything that you desire  
Anything at all  
Everyday I'll take you higher  
And I'll never let you fall

Let me be your wings  
Leave behind the world you know  
For another world of wondrous things  
We'll see the universe  
And dance on Saturn's rings  
Fly with me and I will be your wings

Anything that you desire  
Anything at all  
_Anything at all_  
Everyday I'll take you higher  
And I'll never let you fall

_You will be my wings_  
Let me be your wings  
_You will be my only love_  
Get ready for another world of wondrous things

**We'll see the universe  
And dance on Saturn's rings**  
Heaven isn't too far  
_Heaven is where you are_  
**Stay with me and**  
Let me be your

_Let you be my_

**Wings.**

The last notes hung in the air as the two singers stared at each other.

"Well done, Christine. You are doing very well. I shall see you tomorrow for your last lesson until you return." Erik got up from the bench and disappeared into the mirror before Christine could say anything else. She never even got the chance to ask him about his mask.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this one. What do you think Philippe has planned? Do you like the feelings budding between Erik and Christine Please let me know what you think. The song that Erik and Christine and Erik sang is called Soon/Let Me Be Your Wings. It's two different songs, they are from Thumbelina. Whenever I get several reviews, I just want to write more for you guys, so please, review! See you guys in a little while with a new chapter :)**


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